You too can be a princess: young hopefuls mob Mary

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There is nothing like a Dane ... Prince Frederik and Princess Mary meet and greet at Pennant Hills yesterday.Photo: Kate Geraghty

Mary wasn't the only princess at Pennant Hills yesterday. Dotted
among the 1000 fans waiting in the morning sun to see the Crown
Princess of Denmark were lots of little girls in their best
princess dresses wearing tiaras and clutching posies.

As the mother of four-year-old Georgia Zalunardo explained: "She
thought if she dressed up as a princess, too, Mary might come over
and see her."

The real princess didn't disappoint when she arrived with her
husband, Crown Prince Frederik, for the 10am service at the Danish
Lutheran Church.

Clearly touched by the rousing welcome they received, the couple
spent time mingling with people in the crowd, some of whom had been
waiting since 5am.

Dressed in a clinging cream top, white-spotted black-wrap skirt
and taupe high heels, Mary accepted bunch after bunch of flowers,
while Frederik, in a grey suit, greeted some aspiring
princesses.

Zoe Anstee, 7, was elated she was able to give the Crown
Princess Fruit Tingles. "She's probably the best princess I've ever
seen," Zoe said.

Mary and Frederik then disappeared inside the church to join the
170-member congregation, which included the Attorney-General,
Philip Ruddock, and his wife, Heather. After the service they
visited the Sunday school and then had morning tea with members of
the local Danish community.

The many fans who stayed waiting outside had their patience
rewarded when Mary and Frederik emerged again at midday. As cries
of "We love you Mary" rang out on Weemala Road, the royal couple
made their way along the throng of well-wishers, shaking as many
hands as they could.

It was the largest crowd Mary and Frederik had encountered so
far on their official visit to Australia and in Mary's own words,
it was "overwhelming".

One policeman remarked to a group of young Mary fans: "It's not
every day you see a princess," to which seven-year-old Cassie White
solemnly replied: "It's the opportunity of a lifetime."

Asked by a member of the Danish press how it felt to have such a
popular wife, Prince Frederik replied in Danish: "Fantastisk". Late
yesterday, the couple swapped their beautiful clothes for the grey
overalls of BridgeClimb to brave the winds atop the Harbour
Bridge.